The 'Boston Six' or 'Second New England School' was an ambitious group of composers, including Chadwick, responsible for creating the first canon of America's classical music.
Historical Context
Antonín Dvořák, head of the National Conservatory, was a major figure in American musical life in the late 19th century, expanding America's musical horizons.
Composer Biography
George Chadwick, born in rural Massachusetts in 1854, was three years older than Edward Elgar, born in Worcester in 1857.
Composition History
Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, which brought him international fame in 1899, originated from a simple theme he improvised at the piano after a day of teaching.
Compositional Technique
Elgar's Enigma Variations represent thirteen of his friends, 'pictured within' and indicated by their initials, with the fourteenth variation representing Elgar himself, known by his wife's pet-name E.D.U.
Composer Biography
George Chadwick, an academic, was appointed director of Boston's New England Conservatory (NEC) in 1897 and helped establish it as a major international conservatory.
Composer Biography
Edward Elgar, a self-taught musician, maintained a lifelong suspicion of academics despite rising to become one of the most venerated composers of his era.
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